privilegieeskalering

Privilegieeskalering, sometimes translated as privilege escalation, refers to the act of exploiting a bug, design flaw, or configuration oversight in an operating system or software application to gain elevated access to resources that are normally protected from an application or user. This elevated access is often referred to as "root" or "administrator" privileges.

There are two main types of privilege escalation. Horizontal privilege escalation occurs when a user with lower privileges gains access to the resources or data of another user with similar privileges. Vertical privilege escalation, on the other hand, occurs when a user with normal user privileges exploits a vulnerability to attain higher privileges, such as administrator or system-level access.

Attackers often use privilege escalation as a post-exploitation technique after gaining initial access to a system through other means, such as phishing or exploiting a network vulnerability. Once a system is compromised, attackers will attempt to escalate privileges to gain more control and access sensitive information. This can involve exploiting known vulnerabilities in software, misconfigurations, or weaknesses in access control mechanisms.

Defending against privilege escalation involves a multi-layered security approach. This includes keeping software updated with the latest security patches, implementing strong access control policies, using security monitoring tools to detect suspicious activity, and employing principle of least privilege, where users and applications are only granted the minimum necessary permissions to perform their tasks. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments are also crucial in identifying and mitigating potential escalation vectors.